The article reports on a system of care for psychiatrically ill children and adolescents that has been designed, established and expanded since 1980 by a university department in a rural region. The department is responsible for the mental health care of three counties with altogether 807 000 inhabitants. The development of this system of care was due in great part to the model program of the German Federal Government for the reform of mental health care that comprised 14 model regions, out of which the region of Marburg and its surrounding counties was the only one with a focus on the situation of psychiatrically ill children and adolescents. With the aid of this model program, a comprehensive evaluation of existing psychiatric services was carried out and at the same time, new services for this clientele were established such as a mobile child and adolescent psychiatric service and a day hospital. A particular focus was laid on the development of a complete network of psychiatric services with manifold, and over the years well proven, cooperation measures. Finally, the quality of mental health care was significantly increased by a continuous evaluation of services and the implementation of two institutes for psychotherapeutic training. Several research initiatives in the field of social psychiatry have contributed to this amelioration and at the same time, to a successful integration of mental health care and research.